


Subcon Appartment

by DragonLover19



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Orphan Hat Kid, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-03 20:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16332536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonLover19/pseuds/DragonLover19
Summary: The world is filled with different types of people with different personalities and different backgrounds.Some like to share and some just want the past to be forgotten. But she didn't mind too much. It was fun just being with her four guardians.





	1. Rain

Rain was pouring down hard. It kept going from morning to the afternoon, and more than once Cookie worried that her garden would get ruined if the rain continued any longer.

“Ack! Curse this weather! It’s been going on fer weeks now an’ hasn’t let up a drop!”

“It’s only been four days Conductor.” Cookie pointed out as one of the apartments occupants grumbled and fumed about the weather.

“Four days of missed footage Cookie! Ya can’t believe the setbacks we’ve been havin’ at the studio thanks tae this peckin' weather! Can’t even run me own train in these conditions!” Conductor growled, peeking out one of the windows. “That no good DJ peck neck’s already got his blasted movie under way too! Usin' the weather fer somethin'! Ah just know it!”

Cookie rolled her eyes. The long standing battle between the Conductor and DJ Grooves was never ceasing. Even when they weren’t in the same building they hated each other. What was the big deal about winning some award anyway? She wasn’t a very competitive person, but really, she was getting tired of all the trophies she had to keep putting away in the storage closets. At this rate, 385 trophies were just about the limit she could take.

“I’m sure that DJ Grooves has his way of dealing around with these things.”

“Did someone say my name darlings?”

Cookie blinked in surprise as DJ Grooves slid into the room, doing a little pose with glamor. “Oh! Grooves! I didn’t realize you were back.”

“When did _you_ get here peck neck?!”

“Been home for over an hour, darlings. Been taking it easy in my crib relaxing and enjoying the weather outside.”

“ _What_?! You’ve here relaxin’ this whole time?! Enjoying this bloody weather?!”

“Well some people enjoy the rain outside Conductor darling. It’s been helping them since the early days of time. You need to appreciate it more.”

“Appreciate?! _APPRECIATE?!_ Ah Can’t Get Tae Me Own Train In This Peckin' Weather!”

Cookie sighed as the two starting arguing. Again. Being used to it, she went into the kitchen to make dinner. Halfway in prepping the dinner, Cookie noticed some ingredients missing for her cooking.

“My word! We’re out of beef! And Worcestershire sauce!” She huffed with her fists to her hips.

“Is something the matter darling?” DJ Grooves poked his head in.

“Oh, nothing big. I’m just out of a few things for dinner preparations. I just need to shimmy on down to the store and grab a few things to get dinner ready.”

“Didn’t ye send out the bum earlier on an earn lass?”

Cookie blinked, thinking back on the Conductor’s words. “Oh! That’s right! It’s Snatcher’s duty for grocery duty this week today!” And Snatcher on grocery duty meant that all things needed on the list were more likely to be found by him. Though, he did have a tenancy to get more bacon than needed. What was with the guy and bacon anyhow?

“The bum on grocery duty. How fan _tastic_.” The Conductor growled under his breath, plopping down in his favorite chair in the main room.

“Now come on Conductor darling. You know that Snatcher is a… _reasonable character_ in certain sense.”

“Plus he has a few jobs that keeps most of this place from falling into debt.”

“Ah help too ya peck necks!” Conductor scoffed, turning the TV on.

Cookie and Grooves shared a look but didn’t press the Conductor.

“So, Cookie darling, what’s on the menu for tonight?”

“Beef stew with some salad. Though I’m only currently working on the salad part since we don’t have any beef to cook with yet. Hopefully Snatcher will be here soon with the meat so I can get started on that.”

Just then, the front door slammed open, making all occupants jump and turn around and catching a long slim leg retreating.

“Well, look who’s makin' an entrance.” Conductor huffed as a tall slim drenched figure with bags in his arms stepped in.

“Snatcher darling! Just in time! Cookie’s whipping up some beef stew for tonight and we need that beef darling.” DJ Grooves jazzed his way over to the tall fellow, taking a few bags.

“Should be in one of those bags.”

Grooves paused, looking at the tall dark purple cladded being. “… Snatcher darling. Is something wrong?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re usually in a more chipper mood when it’s raining out. You’re not even flashing your trademark grin!”

Snatcher just shrugged, walking past Grooves. “Busy day I guess.”

There was an odd silence as Grooves, Cookie, and Conductor all shared a look. “Soo… how was your day then? Anything out of the norm you want to talk about?” Cookie asked, side glancing at Snatcher as he started searching through the bags.

“Just the usual.”

DJ Grooves frowned. Normally Snatcher was a more talkative type of person, chatting with no end just to rile up anyone and everyone for his own amusement. Or more case on the Conductor’s nerve.

The Conductor also noticed this, staring at the apartment’s oldest occupant when his trained movie eyes noticed that Snatcher was keeping his back two DJ and Cookie, shifting so that his front couldn’t be viewed. “Oi! Whatcha hidin' spook?”

Snatcher froze.

“Darling?”

“Snatcher, is there something you’re not telling us?”

Snatcher was quiet for a few moments before sighing and turning around. His right arm was pressed against his chest holding something that was being cover by his jacket that everyone noticed he wasn’t wearing when he stepped in. Without a word, he slowly pulled the jacket down, letting everyone see what was underneath.

A small bony thin little girl.

“I found a… stray.” Snatcher spoke as they stared. “… Can we keep it?”


	2. The Girl

Snatcher was not a nice person.

Nope.

Totally not a good guy.

A very not so nice guy you would want to meet.

Mean?

Yes.

Rude manners?

Defiantly.

Found your pain funny?

Most certainly.

Any friends?

No.

Pick a fight?

Been to jail a couple of times.

Weaponry?

Advise not to leave anything sharp or deadly within his reaching range.

People person?

Only if he wanted something. Usually nothing good.

Listen to loud obnoxious music?

Loud enough for the neighbors neighbors to hear. And he does this on repeat.

Trickery?

…

Thieving or robbery?

He’s not low enough to steal from a bank. Doesn’t mean he shoplifts time to time.

Blood on his hands?

Well, he wasn’t sure.

But, still, Snatcher was **_NOT_** a good person.

Yep, most _defiantly_ not a good person.

So why did he have a _pecking small girl in **his arms?!**_

“ _WHY DO YA HAVE A KID?!_ ”

Snatcher flinched, the child in his arms flinching and burying her face against his chest. “Jeez, lighten up old timer. You’re scaring the kid.”

“ _Ah’m_ Scaring The Lass?! Why Do Ya Even HAVE A Kid With Ya?!”

“My word! They’re as thin as a twig!” Cookie came over, looking at the child top to bottom. “They’re in rags and— _are those scars?!_ What in the world Snatcher!”

“I didn’t do this! She always had them!” Snatcher slapped a hand over his mouth. Eyes were on him.

“Snatcher, darling. Is there something you’re not telling us?” Grooves peered over his sunglasses, staring in worry with Cookie and the Conductor.

Seeing there was no way out of this now, Snatcher sighed in defeat. “I’ve been visiting this kid over a month.” He rolled his eyes as collective gasps filled the room. “Nothing important mind you! Kid was barely alive when I saw her so I’ve been giving her some scraps to eat.” He adjusted his hold on the girl. “I just recently got her trust to hold her.”

“Ya shouldn’t even _be_ holden her!” Conductor stomped over to the tall individual, making a grab at the small child.

“Whoa! Mind your hands old timer!” Snatcher backed away from the Conductor’s grasp, keeping the child out of his reach. “She’s a fragile thing!”

“An’ _you_ are a no good peck neck bum!”

“Language man!”

“Boys! Boys! Enough!” Cookie got between them. “You’re not helping anything and jostling the poor girl around!” She turned to Snatcher, looking him dead in the eye. “Snatcher, where did you find this girl? And why haven’t you told us about her till now?”

“Like I could even tell you about her.” Snatcher snorted. “Like I said earlier, I’ve been visiting her for over a month now. She… wasn’t living in the best place.”

“Where?” Conductor glared at him, placing his hands on his hips.

“Sheesh. Pushy much? At an old abandoned building I was, uh, exploring.”

“Exploring? Or vandalizing?”

“Hey! It’s not vandalizing if no one owns it.” Cookie rolled her eyes. “Anyway, the kiddo was hiding in one of the rooms and… in bad shape.” Snatcher chuckled slightly though, there wasn’t any mirth in his tone.

“Darling, why haven’t you taken her to the police? Or anyone with medical knowledge?”

“Do you people have short term memory or something? I said I just recently got her trust to hold her.” He looked at the girl. “She’s… shy around other people. Plus, what could I say to the police? Hey! I found this kid in an abandoned building that’s on its last legs with a bunch of open wounds and scars on her body! She’s pretty thin too, almost like a skeleton! Her parents? Don’t know! I hadn’t seen anyone else around who could have done this to her! Have a nice day~” Snatcher frowned deeply. “Yeah, that’s sure to go over very well with them.”

DJ Grooves gave a disproving look to Snatcher, crossing his arm. “Snatcher.”

“Look I don’t have the best track record okay?! One way or another they’ll think I did this to her, _which I didn’t_. I couldn’t take her to the police because I’d end up in cuffs. And I couldn’t take her to see a doctor because… I don’t know any good doctors to go to for… _this_.” He gestured to the kid. “I mean. Are there any doctors for this?”

Silence hung in the room as the three looked at each other. The child’s condition was bad. But was there a doctor out there who could help fix what this small girl had been through?

“Ay ay ay ay ayyy… Spook, yer really puttin’ yerself in a deep end. Are ya even sure she was alone?”

“Checked every nook and cranny of the place. She was the only one there.” Snatcher sighed, easing the girl to his other arm.

“Darling… you know we can’t let this slide under the police radar. They have to know about this.”

“Yeah? Well it’s not going to be me walking right up to them.”

“Listen, boys.” Cookie claimed everyone’s attention onto her. “Maybe it’d be best if this girl sees a doctor first before bringing the authorities into this. Just to make sure that she’s not in any danger.”

“Works for me!” Snatcher smiled, gazing down at the kid. “Though, it’s going to be some difficulty for the kid. She’s still a shy little thing.”

“Little is right!” The Conductor shoved his way forward, looking at the girl up and down. “She’s no bigger than a toddlin’ toddler! No bigger than a wee babe! How old is she even?”

“two.”

The four adults looked at the child in surprise. She silently stared back at all of them.

“Wait, _two?!_ ” Snatcher choked. “You’re two?!”

“That can’t be right darling!”

“ _THE LASS **IS** A TODDLER?! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD—WHEN I FIND THE PECK NECKS THAT DID THIS!_ ”

“Conductor please! Calm down!”

Much to say that that night was a night that wouldn’t easily be forgotten. No matter how much they wanted to or couldn’t. And to say the least, no one slept easy that night.


	3. The Doctor

Looking for a doctor was harder than anyone expected. Not to mention one that specialized for certain conditions the young girl portrayed.

For one thing, she clung to Snatcher’s side like a lifeline. Barely leaving his side even for a moment. He seemed to take it in stride, but they could see, or rather smell, his limitations when he did get those few rare moments away from her. Thankfully, Snatcher managed to be on his, _surprisingly_ , best behavior with the child as she clinged to him.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well Snatcher darling.” Grooves commented at one time. He only got a gruff huff as a response from the taller male.

Another trait the child showed was that she liked to hide when Snatcher was out. It scared the living day lights out of everyone when it first happened, though she did reappear when Snatcher came back. He wasn’t joking when he said she was shy. The girl couldn’t look anyone in the eye much less say anything. Not even Grooves, a people person at heart, could get her to open up to him.

Cookie was the one who worried most about the young girl. She kept asking Snatcher questions like where did you find her? Which abandoned building was she in? Why is she so thin? What had you been feeding her? Where did she sleep? Is that shirt the only thing keeping her covered? Should we give her a bath? Does she tell you if her wounds hurt? Or where she got those scars? Why haven’t you wrapped them in bandages yet?

The look of annoyance was becoming a common look on Snatcher’s face. Even more than the Conductor’s.

However, her heart was in the right place for the young child. Cookie had made it her sole job to put some weight on the small girl and got every opportunity she could to make something for her to eat. Soft foods mostly. She was still worried about the child’s digestive track.

The job for searching for a doctor somehow landed on the Conductor. The old man had numbers of different doctors and specialists on hand. “Back problems. N’ a few accidents on set.” He handed Cookie a list of numbers. “They should be good ‘nough. Or at least know what tae do.” He pointed to the numbers that he circled that he deemed to be good enough to try.

“Thank you Conductor. Maybe we can try calling one of them later.”

“Or never! That’s an option!” The two adults glared into the living room. Snatcher was splayed out on the couch with the child resting on his chest. “What? If they aren’t good enough then we shouldn’t bother.” He shrugged, earning an eye roll and growl from the two.

*

It was midday on a Monday when a doctor was finally found. An old friend of the Conductor who had once been a doctor to his own kids long ago. He was pretty much retired but he still took house calls time to time.

The Conductor smiled as he opened the door. “Phylum! Nice tae see ya again ya old cougar!” Conductor pulled his old friend into a hearty hug.

“It’s nice to see you too you haywire.” Phylum smiled, patting the Conductor on the back. “So what’s with the sudden call out of the blue for medical attention? None of your little ones have gotten themselves hurt have they?”

“Pfft! Oh no! Not one of mine! They’re all big n’ have their own wee lil’ one tae worry ‘bout.” The Conductor ushered his friend inside. “Sorry fer the call last night. Ah know it was late but the relief of findin’ a doctor kinda clouded me mind.”

“It’s fine. No troubles here.” Phylum looked about the living room. “So, where’s my patient? You didn’t give me much detail over the phone when we talked.”

“The spook has her.”

Phylum looked at his friend questionably. “Spook?”

“Snatcher. The one Ah told ya ‘bout last Thanksgivin’ visit.”

Phylum nodded his head slowly, humming in thought. “Ah, yes, him. You showed me that scar he gave you from a ‘little’ argument.”

The Conductor huffed but said nothing.

“So, my patient is a girl then? I hope you aren’t trying to set me up with anyone. Maisie wouldn’t be too happy about that.”

The Conductor scoffed, punching his friend’s shoulder in playful mannerism. “Yer awful ya old cougar! Besides, the lass is a weeeeee bit too young fer yer taste. Not tae mention she’s… uh… well… maybe it’s best tae see fer yerself.” He cupped his hands together around his mouth. “OI! SPOOK! THE DOCTOR IS HERE! GET YER SORRY BUM DOWN HERE WITH THE LASS!”

“Was that necessary?”

“Kind of.” Conductor shrugged, leading his friend to the couch. “He stays up in the upper floors sometimes, though most of the time he tends tae live in the basement.”

“Still not much of a people person I take it?”

“Not in the slightest. Can you believe that? N’ the nerve of him! If Ah had ownership of this place, he would be right out the door!”

Phylum chuckled a little. “I’m certain that he would be out on the streets given what you’ve told me. He certainly doesn’t sound like… like…” Phylum frowned, feeling a small cold shiver go up his spine. He glanced to the hallway, finding golden eyes glaring at him from around the corner.

Phylum jumped, his heart pounding in fear as the eyes bore deep into his very soul. “There ya are ya bum!” Conductor’s voice snapped Phylum out of his terror. “Took ya long enough tae get—!”

“Shh!” The other male hissed, stepping into full view. To Phylum’s surprise, this male was tall. Very tall. Seven feet in height or more in fact if he had to guess. His skin was pale and his build was thin. He seemed to have a theme for purple as his pants with a dark shade of violet, and his vest was also a dark shade of purple over his white shirt. Shaggy dark hair reached past his shoulders, his bangs hanging over his eyes with their golden shine peeking through.

The whole demeanor of this fellow screamed unwelcoming and danger all around him… had he not caught sight of a small bundle held in his long arms. “Kid’s asleep.” The man muttered darkly.

“Well the doctor’s here. She can sleep after he’s done lookin’ her over.” Conductor huffed, getting up from his spot on the couch and plopped down in a worn-down red armchair. “Best he gets it done n’ tell us what the damage is now then later.”

The younger male glared at the Conductor but said nothing as he took his spot on the couch, turning his focus on Phylum. The golden eyes looked at him questionably, darting up and down that made the old man feel… uncomfortable. “This guy is the one you had called up?”

“If yer questionin’ my choice in doctors, bum, Ah’ll have ya know he’s the best there ever is! Treated all my young one when they were me grandkids age.” Conductor huffed, crossing his arms. “If there’s anyone we can trust with this, it’s him.”

“You really know how to put pressure on me old friend.” Phylum chuckled, though there was a hint of nervousness as he turned to the other occupant in the room. “You must be the infamous Snatcher my haywire friend spoke about.” He smiled politely, holding out a hand for him to shake.

“Uh, Phylum? Ah don’t want tae give ya any frights or nothin’ but best tae keep yerself a good distance away from him.” Phylum looked at the Conductor questionably. “New people tend tae make the spook a little edgy n’, eh, they tend tae… ‘lose’ a finger.” He quickly retracted his hand, looking at Snatcher frightfully.

The younger male stared at him before his mouth slowly went into a grin. And not the type of grin that Phylum liked. It was a type of grin that flashed all his teeth and the corners of his mouth reached to heights that he was sure were impossible for normal mouths to do when grinning. And the canines this man had were impressively long if not a little sharp looking.

This was a grin of trickster of dark deeds.

Phylum _really_ didn’t want to be around this man on his own.

It was at that moment that small bundle in Snatcher’s arms started moving. The younger adult quickly lost any interest in Phylum and turned his focus on the bundle. “Hey kiddo. Did the old timer wake you up?”

Phylum watched as Snatcher, ignoring the Conductor’s angry sputtering, pulled back some of the blanket aside and revealed a small tired face buried in the fabric. Blue eyes blinked tiredly up at Snatcher, letting out the biggest yawn. “I know I know. I don’t like my naps getting interrupted too. But the doc’s here, so you have to be awake just for a little while okay?”

The old doctor took a chance to scoot a _tiny_ bit closer to Snatcher, adjusting his glasses on his face. From what he could see, her skin was pale too, though not as pale as Snatcher’s skin thank goodness. Her hair was a mess, short and dirty. He could see a scar behind her left ear, though he was sure that it would fade out with time. Little button nose, thin cheeks, dark bags under her eyes… this didn’t paint a nice picture.

*

“I’m surprised she’s even alive.” Snatcher frowned.

“What’d ya mean doc?”

“I mean with her condition she would likely be dead just about now.” Phylum answered as he set his stethoscope in his bag. “But most of that would be due to starvation. She’s very underweight, smaller than what children her age should be at, and these scars she has.” He took one of the kid’s arms, pointing at certain scars on her skin.  “They looked to have been done _intentionally_.”

Over in the kitchen, the Conductor did a spit take. “ ** _WHAT?!_** ”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Hold up old timer! What do you mean _intentionally?!_ You’re telling me someone do **_this—_** ” Snatcher pointed to the wounds. “On _purpose?!_ ”

“Unless she did it to herself at a younger age with a steady grip, there’s no other explanation for them.” Phylum shook his head, letting on of her arm. “Thankfully those scars aren’t too deep. They’ll fade some in time, but I’m not sure if they’ll ever fully go away.”

Snatcher was in shock. “Someone… did this to her…” He looked down at the small child sitting on his lap. She was curled up with her legs tucked in, staring at the old doctor intently with caution and fear. If Snatcher wasn’t there, he was sure she would have taken off running.

“Peckin’ ifreann!” The Conductor cursed, stomping into the room and taking Phylum by the collar of his shirt. “This isn’t some sick joke tae ya is it Phylum?! No one in their right mind would do somthin’ like that tae a lil’ girl! Ah mean look at her! She’s jus’ a wee thin’! Who would be peckin’ stupid enough tae do such a thin’?!”

“I don’t know! What I do know is that someone _did_ do this to her, and whoever did must be sick in their mind to do such a thing.” The Conductor stared at his friend for a while before releasing his grip, storming off in a fit.

Phylum watched as his friend disappeared behind the corner, sighing sadly before turning to the younger man seated on the couch. Snatcher had his arms wrapped around the girl, holding her close to his body. “… As far as I can tell, there seems to be nothing wrong with her. On the outside. I’ll have the blood samples taken to a lab to see if she has anything in her system we should worry about… If I may ask, how did you ever come across this child?”

Snatcher shrugged. “Found her in an abandoned building all alone. Couldn’t just leave her there ya know?”

 Phylum hummed. “Well, it’s certainly a good thing you did. Otherwise who knows what would happen… anyways, I best be off and send these samples in soon. My recommendation would be to put some weight on her and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.”

Snatcher just huffed as the doctor left the small apartment.


End file.
